...must-see television...
I just wanted to remind everyone who can and who are interested to watch the first presidential debate between Bush and Kerry tonight. In Central Standard Time, it is at 8:00 PM. Channel 2 is airing it, as well as other channels I'm sure.
posted by Quilled One at 9/30/2004 02:00:00 PM
1 Comments:
Just so you know, this post was about the FIRST debate. However, since you sought to post information twice, let us not forget the following useful TRUE facts about Bush:
Bush has, so far in his Presidency:
1) Removed a key anti-terrorist program that was proven to work (Clinton's anti-terrorism task force that stopped the millenium bombing)
2) Replaced the above with a worthless Homeland Security Department that is bloted and ineffective (I mean, who cares about our color-coding system... oh, no, its "Orange" now, better go buy some duct tape). The government has issued so many warnings to keep people fearful that no one truly believes any of the "terror alerts"... none have come true. Additionally, Bush has used this as a premise to remove civil liberties: for example, USA-PATRIOT gives the Attorney General the power to detain any person for up to a six month period without bail, attorney, or any other rights given in the Constitution; moreover, Congress is allowed to declare any chairty or organization to be terrorist or terrorist-related, and, as such, illegal (this violates the Constitution, but it never went through Congress, so it can't be challenged by the Supreme Court... it was "agreed upon" by a special "terrorism task force" filled with Bush-backers, and no dissent). Also, the FBI can now search computer records for ANYONE without a warrant or any evidence (sounds 1984ish, doesn't it). And today, Ashcroft announced that the government can now detain ANY immigrant without evidence (even if the court deems him "not a threat or flight risk"), just because his country of origin has harbored a terrorist (thats a bullsh!t argument, considering that every country, including the US and UK, has harbored terrorists: these are all ploys to gain control over the voters, and cause people to live in fear of dissent (totally Orwellian)
3) Bombed the living **** out of Afghanistan, killing over 5000 innocent civilians, in order to oust a fundamentalist government; that government was removed, and we promptly lost interest. Guess what, the oppressive Muslim law codes are back into place in Afghanistan, but Bush doesnt care, because there is no political gain in it for him (Afghanistan was targeted because everyone hated the Taliban, and it was a popular move; same with Iraq, not as popular internationally though)
4) Ignored the biggest threat to world peace: North Korea. This country has already declared its nuclear program several times, and today, it declared that it possessed nuclear weapons. Yet Bush will do nothing to counter this threat. Because he knows that North Korea will fight back, and will kill thousands of Americans before it goes down (unlike Iraq); since this costly war would be unpopular, Bush has shied away from it.
5) Attacked a sovereign nation that had done nothing to any of its neighbors in the last 12 years, without provocation, thus breaking a 225 year old American tradition of never attacking first. Not only did we miss our biggest target, we showed our hypocrisy, and got most of the world to despise us. At first, we said that we WOULD call a UN vote; then, when defeat was ensured (not by veto, but because we couldn't get 9 votes... if we could have gotten the 9, we would have let France veto, and claimed moral victory), we backed down, saying the UN was irrelevent (its only relevent when it suits our agenda). Then we maintianed that killing or capturing Saddam was VITAL; now we are saying that it doesnt matter about Saddam
6) Turned a $300 billion a year surplus into a $700 billion a year defecit (How the heck can someone waste a trillion dollars in a year... how? I just don't get where all the money went). Bush has claimed to be following Keynesian economics when he proposed his tax cuts; however, what Bush doesn't undestand about Keynesian economics is that there must be a surplus to rely on. The economy is NOT going to easily come out of recession if we are trillions of dollars in debt (that is why the Great Depression lasted as long as it did... even if we got out, there was no hope of a debt-free nation)
7) Frittered away his first executive action; when he banned US governmental aid to international chairities that even suggest abortion as an option for a woman to consider while pregnant, he actually thought that he was banning US governmental money sent directly to abortion-providers, point A to point B style
8) Pushed us closer towards being totally uncredible in the international community
9) One step closer to a Big Brother/Nazi system (IAO, Freedom youth, Das Büro von Vaterla- er, the Office of Homeland Security, etc.)
10) Stopping terrorism, and here's how: Bush told us after 9/11 that we were attacked because the terrorists hate our freedom! He's preventing terrorism, naturally, by removing those freedoms.
Wrong on Iraq
FAILURE TO PLAN
Secret Joint Chiefs Report: Pentagon Planners Were Not Given Enough Time. In August 2003, the Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared a secret report assessing the post-war planning for Iraq. The report blamed "setbacks in Iraq on a flawed and rushed war-planning process." It also said "planners were not given enough time" to plan for reconstruction. [Washington Times, 9/3/03]
Officials Admit Bush Administration Never Had Concrete Plan for Post-War Iraq. Bush administration officials and military personnel admitted that there was never a real plan for post-war Iraq operations. Knight Ridder reported, "The disenchanted U.S. officials today think the failure of the Pentagon civilians to develop such detailed plans contributed to the chaos in post-Saddam Iraq. 'We could have done so much better,' lamented a former senior Pentagon official, who is still a Defense Department adviser." [Newsweek, 7/21/03; Knight Ridder, 7/12/03]
FAILURE TO CALCULATE NUMBER OF TROOPS AND EQUIP THEM
Prior to the War in Iraq, Wolfowitz Rebuked Shinseki's Estimates as "Wildly Off the Mark." Rumsfeld and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz criticized the Army's Chief of Staff, Gen. Eric Shinseki, after Shinseki told Congress in February 2003 that the occupation could require "several hundred thousand troops." Wolfowitz called Shinseki's estimate "wildly off the mark." [USA Today, 6/2/03]
McCain: "Painfully Clear" More Troops Needed. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.): "It is painfully clear that we need more troops. Before the war, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff said that several hundred thousand troops would be necessary to keep the peace. While criticized at the time, General Shinseki now looks prescient." [McCain Speech To the Council on Foreign Relations, 4/26/04]
Army Study Suggests One-Fourth of Deaths in Iraq Could Have Been Prevented If Troops Were Properly-Equipped at Beginning of War. Newsweek reported that an internal Army study said one in four of those killed in combat in Iraq might be alive if they had had stronger armor around them. Thousands more who were unprotected have suffered grievous wounds, such as the loss of limbs. [Newsweek, 5/3/04]
Bush Was Slow To Address Troops' Need For Body Armor. Though Bush signed the Emergency Supplemental funding bill in November 2003 promising to use the money to "acquire new equipment, such as armored humvees and communications gear," he has been slow to deliver on that pledge. The Bush administration first promised all the troops they would have body armor at the end of November. They extended and missed deadlines for December, January, and February, until the Army Secretary told Congress in March 2004 that there were finally sufficient stocks of body armor to equip all soldiers by the end of the month. [Bush Remarks, 11/6/03; House Approps Cmte, Subcmte on For. Ops, 9/24/03; UPI, 12/3/03; Hartford Courant, 1/11/04; House Approps Cmte, Defense Subcmte, 2/12/04; Senate Armed Services Cmte hearing, 3/2/04]
FAILURE TO ANTICIPATE IRAQI INSURGENCY
Bush Admitted Miscalculating Iraqi Insurgency. "Mr. Bush also acknowledged for the first time that he made a 'miscalculation of what the conditions would be' in postwar Iraq." [New York Times, 8/27/04]
Rumsfeld Admitted Bush Administration Was Not Prepared for Iraqi Resistance. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted that "I am saying that -- if you had said to me a year ago, 'describe the situation you'll be in today, one year later,' I don't know many people who would have described it -- I would not have described it -- the way it happens to be today. … I certainly would not have estimated that we would have had the number of individuals lost that we have had lost in the last week." [Rumsfeld News Conference, 4/15/04]
Powell Says The U.S. Miscalculated The Postwar Insurgency. In an interview with Panama's TVN Channel 2, Powell admitted that the U.S. "miscalculated the strength of insurgents in Iraq" and "it is clear we did not expect an insurgency that would be this strong." [Associated Press, 9/2/04]
Allawi Says Disbanding Of The Army Led To An Increase In Violence. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi wrote, "The postwar wholesale disbanding of the security forces has seen a rise in murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and drug trafficking, often in a vicious cycle that funds violence." [Wall Street Journal, Allawi Op-ed, 8/25/04]
FAILURE TO USE RECONSTRUCTION FUNDS TO REBUILD IRAQ
Reconstruction Money Is Going Unspent. According to U.S. officials, only $1.1 billion of the $18 billion reconstruction package authorized by Congress has been spent and half of that was for security costs. [U.S. News & World Report, 9/20/04]
Bush Administration Seeks To Shift Reconstruction Funds To Security. In an indication of the Bush administration's failure to plan for the increasing violence in post-war Iraq, the Bush administration asked Congress to shift $3.4 from the reconstruction to the security of Iraq. The shift of funds "is a de facto recognition that [the occupation authority's] ambitious plans to restructure Iraq's entire economy have failed," said Anthony H. Cordesman, a security analyst at the nonpartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies. [Washington Post, 9/15/04; Associated Press, 8/30/04]
FAILURE TO PROPERLY MANAGE RECONSTRUCTION MONEY
CPA Cannot Account For $8.8 Billion. "At least $8.8 billion in Iraqi funds that was given to Iraqi ministries by the former U.S.-led authority there cannot be accounted for, according to a draft U.S. audit set for release soon. The audit by the Coalition Provisional Authority's own Inspector General blasts the CPA for 'not providing adequate stewardship' of at least $8.8 billion from the Development Fund for Iraq that was given to Iraqi ministries." [Reuters, 8/19/04]
Halliburton Hasn't Accounted for Almost Half Its Work in Iraq and Kuwait. According to a report by Pentagon auditors, Halliburton has not adequately accounted for more than $1.8 billion of work in Iraq and Kuwait, representing 43% of the $4.18 billion that Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root has billed the Pentagon so far." [Wall Street Journal, 8/11/04]
Bush Administration Underfunded Effort To "Win The Heart and Minds" of Iraqis. According to an International Crisis Group report, "U.S. reconstruction has created some employment. Notably, the U.S. initiated a number of quick, small-scale projects -- minor repairs of sewage systems, rubbish collection, refurbishing youth centres and mosques -- that relied principally on local labour and were designed to 'win the hearts and minds' of ordinary Iraqis. However, these activities were largely under-funded -- a mere $140 million was budgeted -- and commanders struggled to uncover additional resources." [International Crisis Group, 9/2/04]
FAILURE TO TRAIN IRAQI FORCES AND BUILD COALITION
Nearly 90 Percent Of Coalition Troops and Casualties Are American. There are 162,000 coalition troops in Iraq. 140,000 of those troops are American - nearly 90 percent. There have been 1023 American casualties and 127 non-American casualties in Iraq since the beginning of the war. American troops have borne nearly 90 percent of the total number of casualties. [Brookings Institution, "Iraq Index," Updated 9/16/04; LAT, 9/17/04]
"Insufficiently Trained and Equipped." "According to senior DoD officials and multinational force documents, these security forces, especially the Iraqi Police Service and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, were insufficiently trained and equipped for these duties. During the escalation of violence that occured during April 2004, some of these security forces collapsed." ["Rebuilding Iraq," GAO Report, June 2004]
Iraqi Police Force Has a Long Way to Go. Only 6,000 police recruits have received training in a police academy, according to British Brig. Gen. Andrew Mackay. Another 21,000 have undergone a three-week training course, he said. At least 60,000 are untrained. In addition, "though the police force...is paying about 120,000 people, only 87,000 are accounted for." British Brig. Gen. Andrew Mackay admits that "the Iraqi Police Service has some way to go before you can really consider them...effective." [Washington Post, 8/1/04]
GAO Reported High Desertion Rates. According to a GAO report released in July, thousands of Iraqi National Guard deserted their posts. Among the Iraqi National Guard, desertions ranged from 30 percent in northeastern and central Iraq to 82 percent around the western city of Fallujah, where insurgents battled besieging U.S. Marines. "In all, 12,000 soldiers did not show up for duty." The GAO concluded that "given the poor performance of the Iraqi security forces during April 2004, it is unclear what level of security they will be able to provide during the period leading up to Iraq's national elections." [Washington Post, 8/1/04]
Delay in Training Army. "For the Iraqi army, only about 3,000 soldiers have been trained and deployed in the field, according to Brig. Gen. James Schwitters, commander of the coalition training team assisting the army. One source of delays has been the lack of adequate training sites for recruits," he said. [Washington Post, 8/1/04]
BUSH'S TOTAL DISREGARD OF REALITY.
Regions Of Iraq Are Still Under The Control Of Insurgents. Major Iraqi cities including Ramadi, Fallujah, Samarra, and Bukhara remain under the control of insurgents. Retaking the cities depends on having adequately trained and equipped Iraqi soldiers, which Rumsfeld and Myers admit may not happen until December - one month before Iraq's scheduled elections. [NBC, "Meet The Press," 9/12/04; Rumsfeld/Myers New Briefing, 9/7/04; NYT, 9/19/04]
Attacks On U.S. Forces Have Been Increasing Since The Transfer Of Sovereignty. "Violence against American forces surged last month to its highest level since the war began last year, with an average of 87 attacks per day." [NYT, 9/19/04]
More Troops Died In August Than In July; More In July Than June. In August, 66 U.S. service personnel were killed in Iraq. American forces suffered 54 casualties in July as compared to 42 in the month of June. Halfway through September, 52 U.S. troops have already been killed in Iraq. The toll for September already exceeds that of 10 of the 18 months since the war started. [Washington Post, 9/5/04; LAT, 9/17/04]
August Was Month of Highest Injury Toll In Iraq. "About 1,100 U.S. soldiers and Marines were wounded in Iraq during August, by far the highest combat injury toll for any month since the war began..." [Washington Post, 9/5/04]
Number Of Soldiers Wounded Has Doubled Since April. The total number of American soldiers wounded since the invasion was launched in March 2003 is 7,245. There were more wounded over the past five months - about 4,000 - than in the first 13 months of the war, when there were about 3,300. [Associated Press, 9/1/04, 9/15/04; Time, 9/20/04 issue]
BUSH HAS FAILED TO ADDRESS OTHER TRUE NATIONAL SECURITY THREATS
North Korean Nuclear Threat Has Increased Under Bush. The Bush administration admits that the North Korea may now have fuel for as many as eight nuclear weapons, yet Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs James A. Kelly told Congress that "it is clear [the U.S. and North Korea] are still far from agreement." [Washington Post, 4/28/04; USA Today, 7/16/04]
Iranian Nuclear Threat Has Increased Under Bush. Iran has now announced its intentions to process raw uranium, restart its nuclear centrifuges and begin extracting uranium from its central desert in less than two years. Yet the Bush administration "has still not formally signed off on a strategy for Iran since a review of policy was begun in 2001, U.S. officials say." [Associated Press, 9/1/04, 9/4/04; Washington Post, 7/19/04]
Al Qaeda Is Regenerating. "For the past several months, the president has claimed that much of Al Qaeda's leadership has been killed or captured; the new evidence suggests that the organization is regenerating and bringing in new blood." [New York Times, 8/10/04]
Wrong for the Economy
Bush Faces the Worst Jobs Record of Any President Running for Reelection. George Bush has presided over the loss of 1.6 million private-sector jobs. He will face re-election as the first job-loss president since Herbert Hoover in the Great Depression. Manufacturing has been very hard hit, losing 2.7 million jobs. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]
More than 7 Million Jobs Short Of President Bush's Prediction. Annual projections in the 2002 Economic Report of the President implied that over 6 million new jobs would be created between January 2001 and July 2004. [Bureau of Labor Statistics; Economic Report of the President, 2002]
Bush First President on Record to Oversee a Decline in Business Investment. Business investment has fallen 2.2 percent under George Bush. This makes him the first president on record to oversee a decline in investment - a dramatic turnaround from the 102 percent increase in investment under President Clinton. [BEA]
Bush's Tax Cuts Shifted Burden Onto the Middle Class. The Washington Post reported, "Since 2001, President Bush's tax cuts have shifted federal tax payments from the richest Americans to a wide swath of middle-class families, the Congressional Budget Office has found." [Washington Post, 8/13/04]
Bush Turned Record Surpluses into Record Deficits. George Bush inherited a $236 billion surplus in 2000. He has replaced this with a deficit of $422 billion in 2004. Now he is proposing more of the same: "The expansive agenda President Bush laid out at the Republican National Convention was missing a price tag, but administration figures show the total is likely to be well in excess of $3 trillion over a decade." [CBO and Washington Post, "$3 Trillion Price Tag Left Out as Bush Details His Agenda," 9/14/2004]
Bush Fiscal Policy Has Been "especially ineffective as a stimulative measure." The Congressional Budget Office described some of Bush's tax plans as the "least likely to generate significant stimulus" and Goldman Sachs described them "especially ineffective as a stimulative measure." [Congressional Budget Office, "Economic Stimulus: Evaluating Proposed Changes in Tax Policy," January 2002; and Goldman Sachs U.S. Economics Analyst. "Fiscal Policy - In Search of Balance, Creativity, and Grit," May 2, 2003]
Bush Wants to Expand Tax Breaks that Encourage Companies that Outsource Jobs. Bush economic officials consistently defend tax breaks for companies that outsource jobs. And they have even pushed for more tax breaks for companies that export our jobs - to be paid for by raising taxes on companies that export our products and create American jobs.
Bush's Administration Celebrates Outsourcing Key to Economic Success. George Bush's Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers N. Gregory Mankiw said, "Outsourcing is just a new way of doing international trade… And that's a good thing." Treasury Secretary John Snow and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao both agree. [Los Angeles Times, 2/10/04; Associated Press, 9/1/2004]
Bush Failed to Enforce our Trade Agreements and Trade Laws. George Bush has rebuffed efforts to end China's illegal manipulation of its currency. He has filed only one World Trade Organization (WTO) case for every three that Bill Clinton filed. And he has proposed to gut funding for U.S. efforts to support workers' rights and combat abusive child labor around the world.
Bush Guts Worker Training. George Bush has proposed more than $1 billion in cuts to worker training over the last three years.
Bush Proposes Cutting the Small Business Administration by 10.4 percent. George Bush's 2005 budget proposes a 10.4 percent cut in the SBA. These cuts would raise the cost of small business loans and cut funding for business information centers, women's business centers, and technical assistance to help entrepreneurs. The budget includes a $29 million cut in funding for Minority Enterprise Development programs that help disadvantaged and minority small businesses secure loans and contracts. [Office of Management and Budget, 2005 Budget Appendix]
Bush Proposes Cuts in Rural Development Assistance. George Bush's budget proposes $549 million in reductions in rural assistance. This includes cuts for rural electricity, water, broadband, and development. [Office of Management and Budget, "Major Reductions and Terminations in the 2005 Budget"]
Wrong for Health Care
Health Care Premiums Up $3,512. Since George W. Bush took office, family health care premiums have skyrocketed by $3,512. Families now pay 64 percent more than they did four years ago for health care. [Kaiser Family Foundation]
Medicare Premiums Have Increased 56 Percent Under Bush. Under Medicare Part B, which pays for doctors visits and outpatient hospital services, Medicare beneficiaries will be forced to pay 17% more on their monthly premiums, representing "the largest increase in the program's 40-year history." According to CMS calculations, 15% of the premium increase will go directly from Medicare beneficiaries' pocketbooks to HMOs every year. [New York Times, 9/4/04; AdvancePCS, 8/25/03; Medicare Rights Center, 11/14/03]
Wrong for Women
Bush Weakened Equal Pay Efforts. The Bush Administration ended The Equal Pay Initiative and removed fact sheets about equal pay for women workers from federal government websites.
Bush Recommendations Detrimental to Equal Opportunity. Title IX dramatically increased athletic opportunities for women and girls by outlawing gender discrimination. In June 2002, Bush's Department of Education offered a series of recommendations to weaken its regulations. If the Bush administration had had its way, 30 years of progress for women's athletics would have been dealt a potentially fatal blow.
Bush Attempted to Cut Support for Family and Work. George Bush's FY 2004 budget tried to cut the funding for after-school programs that benefit one-half million children and their parents. These programs allow working parents to know that their children are safe and well cared for after school.
Bush Wants to Cut Child Care. The Child Care and Development Block Grant is used to improve the quality of child care and assist low and moderate income families who struggle to afford childcare. George Bush's FY 2005 Budget would eliminate child care assistance for 365,000 children over the next five years.
Bush Worsens Health Care Crisis. The latest Bush budget freezes funding for Maternal and Child Health, cutting access to vital services such as screenings for newborns and paternal care.
Bush Guts Violence Against Women Services. George Bush's FY 2004 budget cut back funding for emergency shelters, crisis hotlines and other desperately needed services to protect women from violence.
Bush Vehemently Opposes Reproductive Rights. George Bush has consistently used his power to undermine the right to choose, selecting extreme anti-choice judicial nominees.
Bush Weakening Social Security for Women. According to a new study released on September 29th, the president has wrongly chosen a Social Security privatization plan that will provide a $940 billion windfall to the financial industry while cutting benefits up to 45 percent for seniors. It's a choice that is particularly devastating for women, who make up 60 percent of all Social Security recipients.
Bush proposed a $16 billion cut in Medicaid over 10 years. The President's 2005 budget proposes to cut Medicaid by $16 billion over 10 years. This proposal at a time when 45 million Americans are uninsured - 5 million more than when George Bush took office. [Office of Management and Budget, 2005 Budget, Table S-8; Census]
Bush Failed to Protect Seniors. Despite the fact that drug costs are skyrocketing, George Bush prohibited Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices on behalf of America's seniors and opposed allowing the importation of affordable, safe prescription drugs from Canada. The drug industry spent over $150 million lobbying on this issue.
Bush Proposed Doubling Cost of Prescription Drugs for Veterans. George Bush proposed doubling the co-pay for middle-income veterans from $7 to $15.
Wrong for Education
Bush Underfunded No Child Left Behind by $27 Billion. Over the last four years, George Bush has underfunded NCLB by almost $27 billion, including $9.4 billion in his most recent budget. This denies nearly 5 million children additional help in math and reading, 15,000 teachers high quality professional development, and 1.4 million children the opportunity to attend after-school programs. [Comparing authorization level with appropriation levels for fiscal years 2002 to 2004 and President's request for 2005, edworkforce.house.gov/democrats/nclbapril2004update.pdf]
Bush Proposed Cutting After-School Programs by 40 Percent. George Bush proposed slashing after-school funding by 40 percent, denying after-school programs to 570,000 children. [Office of Management and Budget, 2004 Budget Appendix and 2005 Budget Appendix; Office of Management and Budget, "Major Reductions and Terminations in the 2005 Budget"]
Bush Proposed Eliminating Continuing Education Programs. George Bush proposed to eliminate funding for dropout prevention and also cutting successful programs to expand college opportunity like GEAR UP. [Office of Management and Budget, 2004 Budget Appendix and 2005 Budget Appendix; Office of Management and Budget, "Major Reductions and Terminations in the 2005 Budget"]
$1,207 Increase in College Tuition. Since Bush has taken office, tuition in the United States has increased by $1,207 at four-year public universities - a 35 percent increase. [College Board]
Bush Fails to Meet Promise to Increase Maximum Pell Grant Award. Candidate Bush promised to increase the maximum Pell Grant award, a critical source of educational support for low-income and minority students, to $5,100. But his 2005 budget is the third in a row that has refused to increase the value above the current $4,050. In fact, the Bush administration sought to apply changes in the Pell Grant formula that would have completely eliminated grants for 84,000 young people. [Bush Speech in Hampton, New Hampshire, 8/30/00; Associated Press, 5/2/02; Chronicle for Higher Education, 4/4/03; House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus, 2/6/04, www.house.gov/budget_democrats; Institute for Higher Education Policy, Reauthorizing the Higher Education Act: Issues and Options, March 2003, www.ihep.com]
Bush Proposed Higher Rates on Student Loans. The Bush Administration tried to increase interest rates on student loans, raising the costs of borrowing by thousands of dollars for thousands of students.
Bush Eliminated the Youth Opportunities Grant Program. George Bush cut this successful program designed to help youth prepare for work and receive on-the-job skills.
Wrong on Homeland Security
From the Beginning, Bush Opposed Creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Former press secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush told Congress "there does not need to be a Cabinet-level Office of Homeland Security." Bush opposed its creation until it appeared Congressional Democrats were going to do it anyway. Bush sent the legislation to create DHS to Congress in June 2002 - on the day that Coleen Rowley was testifying to Senate Judiciary. [White House Press Briefing, 10/24/01; National Journal, 6/5/02; George W. Bush, 11/19/02]
Bush Ignores his own "Strategy." "Even though the most tempting targets for terrorists are those that can produce widespresd economic and social disruption, the White House has declared that safeguarding the nation's critical infrastructure is not a federal responsibility." The President's Homeland Security Strategy said, "The government should only address those activities that the market does not adequately provide-for example, national defense or border security…. For other aspects of homeland security, sufficient incentives exist in the private market to supply protection." Unfortunately, this sort of faith has not born out. [Stephen Flynn, "The Vulnerable Home Front." Foreign Affairs. September/October 2004. Vol. 33, No. 5. P24.]
While Terrorism Was Increasing In The World, Bush And Republicans Proposed To Cut America's Homeland Security Funding. "On the very day that terrorists attacked Madrid, killing 200 and injuring more than 1,000 people, congressional Republicans delivered a budget that proposed to cut $155 million in homeland security spending next year, and $857 million over the next five years from the president's own underfunded budget request." What's more, in a 2006 budget memo it was revealed that Bush seeks to cut DHS funding by $1 billion. [Editorial, Sun Sentinel, 4/05/04; Washington Post, 5/27/04]
INTELLIGENCE SHARING LACKING
Republican Chairman of Homeland Security Committee Said That Nearly Three Years After 9/11, Government Agencies Are Still Not Sharing Information. "Almost three years later, all must acknowledge that, despite serious and sustained efforts by responsible government agencies, we still do not have the level of timely, routine and unfettered information sharing we know we need to prevent terrorism and respond to it as effectively as we must," said Republican Christopher Cox, the House Homeland Security Committee Chairman. [National Journal, 6/24/04]
POROUS BORDERS
Bush Has Failed to Adequately Secure America's Borders. The vast majority of America's front-line border protection personnel don't believe they have the proper tools, training and support to effectively deter potential terrorists from entering the country. Additionally, DHS has been forced to release thousands of illegal alien detainees into the nation's heartland due to a lack of detention resources. The southern border continues to show huge gaps in security, continually allowing for the free flow of hundreds of thousands of undocumented illegal aliens to enter the country each year. What's more, the Bush administration has failed to develop databases and communications that allow for timely communication of terrorist threats along our nation's borders. [National Journal, 8/20/04; National Journal, 7/02/04; www.gao.gov, 7/04]
Bush Administration Has Failed To Adopt Ability To Recognize Terrorist Suspects At U.S. Borders. Federal auditors concluded that delays still exist in matching the names of suspected terrorists with names of visa holders and in forwarding necessary information to the Departments of State and Homeland Security. In some cases, it took the Department of State 6 months or more to revoke visas after receiving a recommendation to do so. Tom Ridge has admitted that along the Mexican border, the Administration has found a "couple hundred" individuals from "special-interest countries" as of January. [www.gao.gov, 7/04; Tom Ridge interview, Morning Edition, NPR, September 15, 2004]
Border Patrol Not Equipped Properly. "However, border inspectors today still do not have basic intelligence and operational training to aid them in detecting and preventing terrorist entry, or adequate access to databases important to determining admissibility, or even viable options to prevent documents known to be fraudulent from being returned to travelers denied entry into the United States." [9/11 Commission Staff Report p. 164 as cited by Los Angeles Times, "Immigration Laws Might Have Stopped Sept. 11 Plot: New commission report backs recommendation that suspected terrorists travel be closely tracked. Los Angeles Times, 8/4/04.]
INADEQUATE PORT SECURITY
Bush Has Failed to Secure America's Ports. The CIA says, "[t]he United States is more likely to be attacked with a weapon of mass destruction smuggled into the country aboard a ship than one delivered by a ballistic missile." Yet fifty-eight percent of all U.S. cities with ports eligible to receive port security grants reported to the U.S. Conference of Mayors that they had not received funding under the program. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 7/10/03; Portland Press Herald, 7/5/03; usmayors.org; www.omb.gov; Journal of Commerce, 3/24/03; Boston Globe, 6/21/03]
Bush Forgos Port Security to pay for the War in Iraq: "Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. has spent more than $500 million to make America's seaports more secure. Sound like a lot? It isn't. That's about what the U.S. spends in Iraq in four days." [Time Magazine 7/18/04; "America the Vulnerable," by Stephen Flynn.]
Bush Shortchanges U.S. Port Security. Nearly seven million cargo containers arrive in America's 361 ports each year and only 5 percent of those containers are physically inspected. Consequently, even a minor attack on America's ports could shut down major commerce for a month. Yet Bush's 2005 budget calls for a 75 percent reduction in port security grant funding over what was proposed for 2004; from $200 million in 2004 to only $46 million in 2005. What's more, 69 percent of eligible port cities have yet to receive requested port security grant funds. [Boston Globe, 6/21/03; Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 8/01/04; www.omb.gov; usmayors.org, 6/25/04]
Even Cargo Classified as High Risk is Not Sufficiently Screened for Radiation. High-risk cargo at many ports is not screened using radiation detection portals since few US ports have had the technology deployed. Instead, officials screen containers using hand held detectors and other equipment that was not designed to detect radiological weapons in cargo containers. [Democratic Members of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security "America at Risk," 1/04]
The $46 Million for Port Security Requested by the President for 2005 is Actually a 63% Reduction From the $125 Million Allocated by Congress in 2004 and Represents a Mere 4 Percent of What is Required. [American Association of Port Authorities Press Release, 12/10/03]
FAILING TO SECURE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
No Plans to Protect Our Critical Infrastructure. Despite the obvious threats to our critical infrastructure there is no national plan for critical infrastructure protection and information sharing. DHS's list of critical infrastructure includes places that closed years ago. [GAO, 01-3233, 2/03]
Critical Infrastructure Vulnerable. "This tepid, piecemeal approach to container security is not exceptional. The situation is little better in the other vital sectors that support our daily lives, such as energy pipelines, power generation and distribution, information technology infrastructure, food and water supplies, public health, and toxic production and transport. In all these areas, no single government entity has an uncontested charter to call all the security shorts. Nor is there a standard by which to measure progress." [Stephen Flynn, America the Vulnerable," pg. 86]
Federal Auditors: Security Oversight of Chemical Facilities Lacking. A Government Accounting Office report released in March 2003 noted that even though U.S. chemical facilities were "attractive targets for terrorists," the ability of any facility to respond to an attack was "unknown." GAO found that the chemical industry was not required by law to assess vulnerabilities or take action to secure its facilities, and that "the federal government has not comprehensively assessed the chemical industry's vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks." [GAO-03-439 March 2003; "America at Risk," 1/04]
Administration Hides Danger that Chemical Plants Pose: According to the EPA, there are 7,728 U.S. chemical plants where an accident -- or act of sabotage -- could endanger 1,000 or more nearby residents. Of those, 123 facilities could threaten more than one million people. . . . The problem is that the efforts are ultimately dependent on the willingness of plant owners and managers to work with Homeland Security officials and spend the money and time on the efforts. The department has no ability to force security measures on the industry. [Wall Street Journal. 8/20/04]
Bush Abandons Security Measures - Philadelphia endangered. "On the East Coast, the Philadelphia region has the highest concentration of facilities that could endanger more than a million people. Four are in Gloucester County. There is one each in Salem and Delaware Counties. Two are in Philadelphia." [Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/20/03] The Washington Post reported Bush "abandoned… tough new security regulations" on the chemical industry, calling it, "a victory for major chemical manufacturers…" [Washington Post, 10/3/02]
Bush Bowed to Special Interests Rather than Secure America's Chemical Plants. The Department of Justice characterizes the threat of terrorism at one of the nation's chemical facilities as "both real and credible," Yet Bush's decision in 2002 to drop chemical plant security regulations marked a major victory for chemical manufacturers who have contributed at least $1.5 million to his campaigns, and directly undermines efforts to secure America's chemical plants. [America at Risk, 1/04; Washington Post, 10/3/02; www.commoncause.org]
INADEQUATE RAIL SECURITY
Bush Has Failed to Improve America's Rail Security. The Bush administration opposed a 2001 bill that would have created a $1.77 billion security program for the nation's passenger and cargo railways. More than 90 percent of the Homeland Security transportation budget is devoted to aviation, leaving other forms of transportation grossly underfunded. Furthermore, on the very day that terrorists attacked the rail system in Madrid (Spain), killing 200 and injuring more than 1,000 people, Congressional Republicans delivered a budget that proposed to cut $155 million in homeland security spending next year, and $857 million over the next five years from the president's own underfunded budget request. [The News Journal, 8/20/04; United Press International, 11/1/01, 10/17/01; Editorial, Sun Sentinel, 4/05/04; www.house.gov/hsc]
No Plan. And No Funding. There is no plan to secure our public transit networks. Bush has earmarked no money in his FY03,04, or 05 budgets for rail security though Congress has tried to pass specific legislation for that purpose - or has added money over his objections. About $6 billion is needed for closed circuit cameras in stations, upgraded radio systems, more officers and employee training, but President Bush did not include any money for transit security in his proposed 2005 budget, association president William Millar said at the group's annual rail transit conference. [Palm Beach Post. "Billions Sought from U.S. for Transit Security," 6/8/04]
INADEQUATE AVIATION SECURITY
DHS Investigators snuck guns and explosives through checkpoints. "Undercover investigators were able to sneak explosives and weapons past security screeners at 15 airports nationwide, according to a government report on aviation security." [USA Today, 9/23/04.]
Cargo on Passenger Airlines Remains Unscreened. On average, half of America's planes carry cargo, and 23 percent of the nation's air cargo travels on passenger flights. 2.8 million tons of cargo is transported by passenger planes annually. The TSA continues to not screen air cargo for explosives even though they know of the threat, "cargo is likely to become - and may already be - the primary threat vector in the short term." Intelligence reports suggest a 35-65% chance that terrorist are planning to exploit this weakness. [GAO-04-285T 11/20/03; Closing the Aviation Security Gap. May 2004. Washington Post. 6/10/02.]
DHS Leadership know of Vulnerabilities and Bush Doesn't Fund the Solutions. Former TSA Administrator and current Deputy Secretary, Admiral James Loy testified in 2002 "it was absolutely an imperative that we spend focused attention on getting better approach to cargo. We must reach to secure cargo better." [US Senate, committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 9/10/02]
"Passengers are not screened for explosives, for example, and there is no comprehensive explosives screening for the 2.8 million tons of cargo shipped annually on airlines. Although the government permits only accredited shippers to move cargo by air, less than 5 percent of cargo is physically screened." [Dallas Morning News, 9/9/04]
LETTING OUR FIRST RESPONDERS DOWN
Bush Cuts First Responders. George Bush's 2005 budget proposes a $805 million cut for the First Responders program - an 18 percent cut. [Office of Management and Budget, "Major Reductions and Terminations in the 2005 Budget"]
Bush Proposed Slashing Community Oriented Policing Program (COPS) by 94 percent. George Bush's 2005 budget proposes slashing COPS funding from $742 million in 2004 to $44 million in 2005 - a 94 percent cut that would require taking 88,000 cops off the street. This is on top of the 28 percent cut enacted between 2001 and 2004. [Office of Management and Budget, Public Budget Database 2005]
First Responders Still Lack Interoperable Communications Systems That Might Have Saved Thousand of Lives on 9-11. The GAO blames this on a "lack of effective, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and intergovernmental planning" that begins at the federal level. [GAO-04-740, 7/04]
Bush Cut State and Local First Responder Training by Nearly Half. Bush cut state and local grant funding for first responder training, exercise, and technical assistance by nearly half, from $320 million in 2004 to $178 million in 2005. According to the House Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee, analysts estimate that funding for "critical needs" of emergency responders will fall $98.4 billion short over the next five years. [www.omb.gov; "America at Risk," 1/04]
Bush and Ashcroft Have Consistently Cut COPS Program. Bush proposed cuts in the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Bush's 2005 budget cuts the program by 87 percent. And, according to a secret OMB memo, Bush and Ashcroft plan to cut the COPS program by $43 million in 2006 and freezes funding at that level through 2009. The International Association of Chiefs of Police said: "Targeting law enforcement assistance programs for reductions of this magnitude [in the Bush 2005 budget] has the potential to significantly weaken the ability of state and local law enforcement agencies to protect our communities from both traditional acts of crime and the new specter of terrorism. This is unacceptable." [House Budget Committee Democratic Caucus, 2/6/04; www.theiacp.org]
Bush Cut Resources for Firefighters. George Bush cut grants for equipment and personnel to local fire departments by $246 million in his 2005 budget. According to the International Association of Firefighters, "The FIRE Act grant program has received $5 billion worth of requests," and "has awarded grants totaling just 10% of that need." Kevin O'Connor of the International Association of Firefighters said, "This [2005] budget is profoundly disappointing to first responders ... It's a continuation of the president's lack of commitment to first responders in general and firefighters in particular." [www.dhs.gov; www.iaff.org; UPI, 2/2/04; www.cfr.org]
Bush Cuts Funding for State and Local Homeland Security Grants by $800 Million. Bush cut funding to the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Domestic Preparedness, which supplies a variety of first-responder grants to state and local governments, by $800 million, to $3.6 billion in 2005 from $4.4 billion in 2004. [Department of Homeland Security, 2005 Budget in Brief, www.dhs.gov; Congressional Quarterly, www.CQ.com]
NO COMMITMENT TO BIOPREPAREDNESS
States Unprepared For Biological Attack. "With so many of our homeland security efforts, they come with too few resources to address the need. Surveillance systems should be up an running in all our major metropolitan areas….If a biological weapon is released in an urban area that is not being monitored, a contagious disease could spread into multiple states before the first alarm is sounded." ["America the Vulnerable." p.125
Local Hospitals Unprepared for Potential Outbreak Of Contagious Disease. "An August 2003 report on hospital preparedness, put out by the US General Accounting Office, found that most urban hospitals had a shortage of equipment, medical stockpiles, and quarantine and isolation facilities for even a small-scale response to a contagious disease outbreak….The American Hospital Association estimates that it would take an investment of $8 billion to bring all metropolitan hospitals up to a point where they could provide acute care in the event of a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack…. Our fire and police departments would almost certainly be overwhelmed as well." ["America the Vulnerable" 126-127]
INADEQUATE EFFORTS TO KEEP TERRORISTS OUT OF THIS NATION
Terrorists may be Able to Stay in the Country. The Bush administration still lacks a clear and comprehensive policy on visa revocation. A GAO study concluded that of just 240 visa revocations examined, "30 individuals whose visas were revoked on terrorism grounds entered the United States and may still remain in the country." [GAO-03-798, 6/03; GAO-04-795, 7/04]
No-Fly List and Terrorist Watch List not Integrated. "Now, in a report obtained by NBC News, a government watchdog warns the problem is still not fixed. The "No-fly" list still includes only suspected terrorists "who pose threats to civil aviation" - not all suspected terrorists. "It's just plain wrong," says 9/11 commissioner Slade Gorton. "The potential consequences are that terrorists can still get on aircraft in the United States," says Gorton…On 9/11, only a dozen names were on the "No-fly" list. Now there are about 3,500. But that's only a fraction of more than 300,000 names on the government's main list of suspected terrorists and associates [MSNBC, 'No-fly' list still lacking, 9/23/04; Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General. "DHS Challenges in Consolidating Terrorist Watch List Information." OIG-04-31. August 2004.]
Wrong on Energy
George Bush Broke His Promise to "jawbone" Saudi Oil Producers. On February 10, 2004, OPEC announced an agreement to cut its output quotas by 1 million barrels per day, starting in March. By March 17, crude oil prices in New York reached a 13-year high of $38.18 per barrel. George Bush's silence on OPEC decisions has sent the signal that prices are not a concern. [Source: "Oil prices rise to 13-year high, threaten economy," Washington Times, March 18, 2004]
America Has Become More Dependent on Foreign Oil. Over the past four years, America has become increasingly dependent on foreign oil. In 2000, 58.2 percent of the oil consumed in the United States was imported. That has increased to 61.7 percent today. [EIA, "Overview of US Petroleum Trade"]
Record Profits for Big Oil Companies While Consumers Are Gouged at the Pump: The higher overall gasoline prices have cost the American consumer a net of over $25 billion since George Bush took office. This money has gone directly from consumers pocketbooks into the hands of oil companies and oil producers, including OPEC. The big three oil companies in America have profited $33.6 billion over the past three years. [Based on EIA Monthly Energy Review; ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco and ConocoPhillips Company Financial Reports]
Bush's Own Energy Information Administration Found the Bush Plan Wouldn't Impact Prices. Bush's own Energy Information Administration found that the effect of the proposal would be "negligible" with respect to production, consumption, imports, and energy prices. Just last week, the EIA reported that imported gasoline hit an all time high of 1.3 million barrels per day the week of April 16. [EIA, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp]
Wrong on Civil Rights
Nominated Judges That Want to Roll Back Civil Rights in America. George Bush has nominated some of the most radical, right-wing judges that our country has ever seen. Judges like Charles Pickering and Priscilla Owen have long records of opposition to Roe v. Wade, have sought to restrict laws barring sexual discrimination, have supported a ban on interracial marriage, and have worked to narrow laws on gender discrimination. Bush said, "We've got to get good, conservative judges appointed to the bench and approved by the United States Senate." [JK speech, 3/8/04]
Opposed Affirmative Action; Wrongly Called University of Michigan System a "Quota." On Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday, Bush announced his opposition to the University of Michigan admissions process filing two amicus briefs in the Supreme Court, minutes before the midnight deadline. When Bush announced his opposition, he called the admissions system a "quota." The Supreme Court explicitly rejected that position. [New York Times, 1/17/03; New York Times, 1/16/03; 6/23/03; United States Supreme Court www.supremecourtus.gov]
Placed the Civil Rights Division at a Standstill and Starved the EEOC. Under Bush and Attorney General John Ashcroft, the Justice Department's civil rights division has been effectively closed and anti-domestic violence efforts have been eliminated. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has received only token increases, and Bush proposes that the Commission on Civil Rights operate through 2005 at $1 million below 2002 funding levels. [Knight-Ridder, 11/21/03; Bush Budget: Truth & Consequences; House Democratic Budget Committee, 2/7/03, Summary and Analysis of the President's 2004 Budget; House Democratic Budget Committee, 3/1/04, Summary and Analysis of the President's 2005 Budget]
Failed to Provide Health Care to Legal Immigrant Children and Pregnant Women. George Bush has stood in the way of providing medical care to legal immigrant children and pregnant women. According to the National Council for La Raza (NCLR), President Bush's FY 05 budget "does nothing to improve access to and the quality of health care for Latinos. The President's budget proposal fails to lift the current ban on health care for legal immigrant children and pregnant women, does not provide funding to enhance access to health services to limited-English-proficient individuals." [National Council of La Raza, "Statement Of Raul Yzaguirre On Latino Unemployment And The President's Budget, National Council of La Raza," 2/10/04]
The Minority Housing Gap Has Grown Under Bush. Despite Bush's claims that he is focusing on the minority housing gap, the ownership gaps for Blacks, Hispanic, and Native Americans have all grown under Bush. The gap between Native American and White homeownership has grown 19%; the Hispanic ownership gap has grown 4.3%; and the black homeownership gap has grown by 2.6%.
Wrong for the Environment
Bush Compiled the Worst Environmental Record in the History of Our Nation. He earned the first ever "F" on the League of Conservation Voters' (LCV) 2003 Presidential Report Card.
Bush Rolled Back Mercury Regulations. George Bush's plan to reduce toxic mercury emissions from power plants would utterly fail to protect public health for the next 20 years. Unveiled in January, the Bush proposal would put off even modest reductions until 2025, even though the Clean Air Act calls for maximum possible reductions by 2008. Known to cause learning disabilities and attention disorders, mercury is one of the most dangerous substances still in common use.
Bush Administration Rolled Back Sewage Treatment Rules. The Bush administration rolled back regulations of sewage treatment to allow more untreated sewage to enter into our water.
Bush Rolled Back the Clean Air Act to allow old, dirty power plants, oil refineries, and other industrial facilities to continue to emit large amounts of dangerous pollutants. George Bush's "Clear Skies" initiative would allow these facilities to emit more pollution than allowed under current law.
Bush Eliminated Clean Water Act Protections for thousands of acres of wetlands and streams. George Bush also has attempted to roll back important drinking water safeguards, and he slashed funding for the State Revolving Funds that finance sanitation and other public water infrastructure projects.
Bush Refused to Make Chemical Companies Clean Up Toxic Sites in Neighborhoods. Instead of renewing the "Superfund" tax on companies who pollute our communities, George Bush forced taxpayers to bear the cost of cleanups, and slowed the rate of site cleanups.
Bush Administration Rolled Back Protections for Wetlands. George Bush lifted protections for 20 million acres of wetlands. The New York Times reported, "The Bush administration opened the way today for a redefinition of federal rules that could remove obstacles to development on millions of acres of isolated wetlands historically protected under the Clean Water Act. [New York Times, 1/11/03]
Bush Administration Rolled Back Protections of Our Public Lands. The New York Times reported, "For broad impact, though, nothing quite matches the decision to scuttle the roadless rule. Nearly three years in the making, that rule essentially gave blanket protection to some of the last truly wild places in America, critical watersheds for fish and wildlife and important sources of drinking water for metropolitan areas in the West. The Bush administration offers instead a less protective and more uncertain system." [New York Times, 7/18/04]
Bush Broke Promise to "restore and renew" our National Parks. Instead, our parks are sliding into disrepair - visitors encounter closed ranger stations and visitor centers, degraded trails, and significant staff shortages. The Bush administration has also pursued policies that threaten visibility and public health and promote logging, roadbuilding, and other development in parks.
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